Girlfriend arrested in North Side man’s death

A 25-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing death of her boyfriend Sunday evening in the Frank Sound area.

Azzan Sherieff, 23, died at the Cayman Islands Hospital after he was stabbed in the neck.

The woman remained in police custody Monday but had not been charged as of press time.

The incident occurred at a home the woman rented at the junction of Frank Sound Road and Union Street in North Side, where the two had gone after a trip to Rum Point earlier in the day.

A number of Cayman Islands residents saw the couple together during the day on Sunday with two other friends at the popular beach spot and noted that nothing seemed amiss.

On Monday, devastated family members were still trying to piece together what happened.

“All I know is that he was stabbed and that the police arrested his girlfriend,” said James “Ernie” Sherieff, Azzan’s father.

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said they were called to the stabbing scene around 5:20 p.m., where “a man had been stabbed and had difficulty breathing.” CPR was administered to the victim, who was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town where he was pronounced dead.

Mr. Sherieff said his son most recently worked at the Crystal Caves tourism attraction in North Side but would more likely be remembered by the local community as a top-class fisherman – managing the charter boat Lady Luck II.

“He won fisherman of the year two years ago,” Mr. Sherieff said of his son, who often participated in local fishing tournaments winning prizes for the “big catch” of the day.

The downtown hospital was packed with more than 100 visitors Sunday night as people came to pay their respects after hearing about what happened.

“He was just so well-liked and popular, so easy-going. People are just in shock and denial that this could happen,” said Caren Thompson, a longtime family friend who worked at Caribbean Utilities Company with Azzan’s father.

Olympic champion hurdler Ronald Forbes, who lives next door to the Sherieff family home in North Side, said he was crushed to learn of Azzan’s killing in what he described as a “senseless incident.”

Mr. Forbes, who is about 10 years older than the victim, said he knew Azzan from the time he was a little boy in North Side.

“It’s just a tragedy; it still has me shocked,” said Mr. Forbes. “He didn’t live a lifestyle that you’d think ‘Oh, he had that coming.’ He was very well-mannered and very respectful.”

Mr. Forbes said Azzan had “such a promising life head of him.”

“To say that this incident is unfortunate is an understatement. My sincere condolences go out to the Sherieff family at this time and I implore the public to be respectful of his family in this time of grief.

“I encourage the young men and young women of the Cayman Islands to please think before acting, as your actions can be irreversible and cause much long-lasting grief to loved ones.”